Start here and work through the topic you see listed, starting with About the Syrian Hamster. Granted that's not specifically about the colors but you should know all you can about an animal you own (even if you're not breeding):
Yes, but it's just not their "darkness" that lets you know they're Umbrous as the amount of darkening the Umbrous gene creates is variable from significant to minute. The one place that you'll always be able to dintinguish Umbrous from not on an agouti is the crescents. If they're not the ivory/white that you'd expect on a given color, then the hamster is Umbrous, no matter if you can see it in the rest of the coat or not.
Just one question: How can you tell golden from golden umbrous with not much ticking if the ham is banded in such a way that the crescents are covered by the band? The band itself doesn't get umbrous, does it?
(The ham I met last night was either a SH golden banded or golden umbrous banded and I have no idea which He was gorgeous though <3)
Good question, when an agouti hamster is Banded, usually the band does not extend to both crescents in it's entirely, you can also look at the underside of the hamster, while the Banding gene should give a white belly, many times there's still some "color faults". Distinguishing umbrous on the belly is not quite as easy though giving their undercolor is grey and many times the belly fur lacks good density.
The tricky one to identify is Umbrous on an agouti DS. This is where you'd defer to your pedigree to know if it's a possibility or leave it as an unknown until test breeding is done.
I know nothing of breeding, but i'm never planning to so its fine. But i've been following this thread so I thought i would just add why I think its good. Mainly cause I find sometimes people seem to discorage it, although sometimes for the better if someone doesn't seem to consider how hard it really is, but this thread is pointing out the basics that need to learned and generally trying to help push into the right direction.
His band wasn't a great band, it didn't meet at the top and was really wide at the sides, almost like two very rough triangles one on either side of his body Didn't stop him from being gorgeous, but he wasn't a good example of a banded hamster
I'll probably see him again next week so I'll study his "crescents" more to satisfy my own curiosity
Re: Can someone quiz me?
He was gorgeous though <3)
Didn't stop him from being gorgeous, but he wasn't a good example of a banded hamster 
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